German Immigrant Ancestors
in Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York
|
German-Language Newspapers
"The story of the German-language press in the United States, which now covers a span of two and [three] quarter centuries, along with that of other language groups, constitutes a major chapter in the history of the assimilation and Americanization of thousands who helped build America. The newcomers received their first impressions of America and their first insight into its institutions from the papers that were published in their native tongues. The foreign-language press was a stabilizing force in the critical years of transition from an Old World culture to the pattern of a strange new land."
Carl Wittke, The German-Language Press in America, Univ. of Kentucky Press, 1957.
History:
German-American Newspapers in Syracuse/Onondaga
- 1852 - First German newspaper, the Onondaga
Demokrat, is published in Syracuse
- 1858 - The second, the Syracuse Central
Demokrat, begins publication, is still in business as of 1897, at 801-805
North Salina Street
- 1863 - The Onondaga
Demokrat changes hands, is renamed the Syracuse Union
- 1870 - A shortlived newspaper, The Syracuse
Chronik appears and disappears during this year
- December, 1870 - The Syracuse Union is sold
by Johann Ziegler to Alexander von Landberg
- 1874 - Pastor A. Oberländer publishes the 12x18"
sheet, Zion's Aue for one year
- May 1875 - Printers Friedrich G. Kaufmann and J. Peter
Pinzer begin publishing the weekly, Sonntagsblatts; it later appears
twice weekly under the name Freie Presse, edited
by Julius Jaixen. Merged with the Syracuse Union in 1876.
- 1895 - The Syracuse Union is
sold by Alexander von Landberg to J. P. Pinzer
- February, 1941 - The Syracuse Union ceases publication.
A sampling of pages showing advertisements,
some Trauungen ("Weddings") and
Beerdigungen ("Burials")
from the Syracuse Union,
1882-1895:
Check these for your ancestors' names or businesses--
(these will NOT be
found by the search engine on this website
because they are graphics,
not text!)
Archives:
Where to find old Syracuse/Onondaga German-language newspapers
See also: The New York State Newspaper Project, Onondaga County:
http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/nysnp/all/434.htm
- Central New York Echo
Holding institution: Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Format: Original newspapers. (1952: 17 January-17 July; 18 September-18 December)
- Syracuse Central Democrat
OCLC: #13147240; published weekly in German 1858-1899
Holding institution: Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Format: Original newspapers. (1 July 1859 - 22 June 1860)
Holding institution: American Antiquarian Society, Worchester, Massachusetts
Format: Original newspapers. (1876: 5 & 26 August)
Holding institution: New York Public Library, New York, NY
Format: Microfilm. (19901200,0,0,8, On Reel 3 of the Steiger Collection of German-American Newspapers [1872-1875]; (5 September 1874)
Holding institution: Onondaga Historical Society, Syracuse, New York
Format: Original newspapers. (1894: 15 June, 17-31 August)
- Syracuse Freie Presse
Holding institution: American Antiquarian Society, Worchester, Massachusetts
Format: Original newspaper. (1876: 15 April)
- Syracuse Union
OCLC: #10032900; published weekly in German, 1866-1941
Holding institution: New York Public Library, New York, NY
Format: Microfilm. (1874: 19 September). Does not lend through Interlibrary Loan.
Holding institution: E.S. Bird Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Catalog No. 5371. 32 reels of microfilm, covering dates as follows: Reel 1: 1865-67; Reel 2: 1868-69; Reel 3: 1870-71; Reel 4: 1872-73; Reel 5: 1874-77; Reel 6: 1878-81; Reel 7: 1882-June 1886; Reel 8: July 1886-1889; Reel 9: 1890-95; 1896-99* [missing?]; 1900-June 1901; July 1901-02; 1903-04; 1905; 1906; 1907; 1908-June 1909; July 1909-1910; 1911-June 1912; July 1912-1913; 1914-June 1915; July 1915-1916; 1917-June 1918; July 1918-1919; 1920-21; 1922, 1923, Jan.-June 1925 (no 1924); July 1925-1927; 1928-June 1929; July 1929-1931; 1932-June 1934; July 1934-1936; 1937-38.
Notes from Michelle Stone: I have done research in the Syracuse Union through Interlibrary Loan from Syracuse University's E.S. Bird Library, which sent the following microfilm rolls to my local public library:
Reel 7: 5 January 1882-June 1886 (positive). Published weekly (Donnerstag/Thursday); each edition four pages long. Beginning in 1883 there are a few burials and weddings listed separately (but no births listed), along with the "Stadt und Staat" section on page 3 of each issue. Gustav Sniper was editor in 1882; with the 7 June 1883 issue Van Landberg took over. The Syracuse Union offices were located at 139 and 141 N. Salina Street.
Reel 8: July 1886-1889 (positive). Now the collection of local news items on page 3 is headed "Kleine Machrichten." Only marriages and burials seem to be listed (no births).
Reel 9: 2 Jan. 1890-25 December 1895 (positive). January through April 1891 issues are all missing on this reel. Only marriages and burials seem to be listed until by the end of 1895 when births are listed as well. By 10 May 1893 the offices were located at 466 N. Salina Street. By December 1893, the paper is now published on Mittwoch (Wednesday), sometimes 6 pages per issue, and occasional photographs begin to appear.
The language is German and the type is Fraktur, so you might want to take along a cheat-sheet to help decipher the lettering.
*In spring 2009 I was told that the reel covering Dec. 1896 to Jan 1897 [Reel 9?] was missing from Bird Library.
- Wochentlicher Syracuse Demokrat
OCLC: #25668719; published weekly in German, 1856-1865 (continued by the Syracuse Union)
Holding institution: Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Format: Microfilm. (1865: 7 January - 30 December)
More History:
German-American Newspapers elsewhere (interesting reading)
- The New
Yorker Staatszeitung, - History of a New York City Institution
- "The Washington Journal at the Tricentennial [1983]; The Oldest Newspaper [German] in Our Nation's Capital" by Nancy Pierce